Front-page New York Times story portrays a priest's son, a troubled mother

October 16, 2009

The October 16 issue of the New York Times offered a lengthy story on Pat Bond, a middle-aged woman with a troubled past and an adult son who is now suffering from cancer. The young man's father is a Franciscan priest, Father Henry Willenborg, who is now a pastor in Wisconsin. The primary focus of the Times story is the mother's drive to find financial support for her ailing son; she complains that the Franciscan order has not provided what she needs. Perhaps equally disturbing is the fact that this priest-- who apparently engaged in more than one lengthy affair-- not only remains active in ministry, but was given responsibility for the spiritual formation of other Franciscans.

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